What NFL draft experts are saying about Solomon Thomas

Stanford lineman Solomon Thomas has been an ascending NFL draft prospect since dominating North Carolina’s offensive front in the Sun Bowl in January.

Thomas has commonly been projected as a top-five pick, often to the 49ers who select second, despite San Francisco taking defensive linemen Arik Armstead and DeForest in round one the last two years.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan made the short jaunt to Stanford’s pro day last month to watch Thomas workout in person. Some consider Thomas the second-best defensive player in the draft after notching 11.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss the last two seasons playing as a defensive tackle in Stanford’s 3-4.

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Thomas (6-3, 273) ran an impressive 4.69 at the scouting combine, leaving many to think he has the versatility and athleticism to potentially line up as a 4-3 defensive end off the edge and an interior pass rusher on throwing downs. Thomas got the bulk of his playing time going against centers and guards at Stanford, which might ultimately be his best role at the next level.

Here’s what some of the NFL draft experts are saying about Thomas before he gets selected later this month:

“After the 49ers signed veterans Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley in free agency, I’m moving away from North Carolina signal-caller Mitch Trubisky here. The urgency for the 49ers to pick a QB isn’t as high. They could target a developmental prospect in the second or third round (Patrick Mahomes, maybe?) and let him have a redshirt year in 2017. The reality is that San Francisco has many needs on both sides of the ball. Thomas (6-3, 273) is a different kind of player than the D-linemen the 49ers have taken in the first round the past two years (DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead); he’ll get after the quarterback from day one.”

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“Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley aren’t long-term answers at quarterback, but them signing with San Francisco may free up the 49ers to take a top-tier talent like Thomas here before drafting a developmental QB on Day 2. With a good combination of quickness and power, Thomas would be a good fit for the defense Robert Saleh hopes to build out West.”

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“Thomas was the runaway winner of the Pac-12’s Morris Trophy as the most dominant defensive lineman in 2016 by a vote of the conference’s blockers. He was as impressive on a snap-to-snap basis as any prospect in the country, demonstrating the initial burst, power and advanced hand usage to earn comparisons to Rams star Aaron Donald.”

“Some might see a ‘tweener, but I see a versatile defender who excels and blowing up plays in the backfield and disrupting an entire offense. His performance in the Sun Bowl against North Carolina proved how he can take over a game all by himself. He’s a top-10 prospect in this class.”

The 49ers’ roster as it currently stands would make Thomas’ addition dubious. The conversation surrounding Thomas will be a case of need versus best player available, if Thomas is, in fact, the second-best player behind Myles Garrett on San Francisco’s board.